Signs of Springs Approach!

Winter Aconite

Dear Gardening Friends,

     Okay, so it snowed four inches this morning, and is still coming down, I still say it is not too soon to ask, “What signs have you noticed that indicate Springs arrival?” Here, in zone six, there is evidence both visual and aural, that Spring is upon us, no matter what today’s weather or Punxatawney Phil, (the groundhog’s) handlers may believe. This years Vernal Equinox will grace the Northern Hemisphere at precisely 6:29 AM on Monday, March 20^th. On this day, we will experience equal hours of daylight and darkness, with daylight increasing until the Summer Solstice in June. Yet, signs of Springs approach abound, no matter the days weather, if only we take time to notice. All that one needs to do to perceive them is step outside! 

Snowdrops

     Even with Winter’s blanket of snow tucked snuggly under Nature’s (greening) chin, one can hear the approach of Spring in the chattering of the birds. There is an excitement in their singing; a strident urgency in their calls to potential mates. “Let’s get it on!,” they cheep and tweet. “I know a forked branch just perfect for building a nest in, lets get to it before all of the good spots are taken!,” they seem to be whistling. 

Perfect, wedge-shaped gaggles of geese, honk their way overhead in a northerly direction. Enormous flocks of Black Birds, a thousand or more strong, sweep through in controlled chaos, reminiscent of an airborne bait-ball. 

   

Crocuses

  Buds on shrubs that have sat tightly wrapped for months have begun to swell and pop open, a slow strip-tease that will reach its climax when their flowers are revealed. In the flower beds, Winter Aconite, Crocuses, Snowdrops, Poppies, Larkspur, Alliums, Hollyhocks, Tulips, Daffodils and Hellebores are once again making their presence known, after months of lurking incognito beneath the earths surface. Even the first leaves of Colombine have already appeared!

    

Hellebores

In the potager, Robins, Starlings, and Sparrows frolic amid the debris of last years garden. It is a bug-rich source of food for them. Meantime, a rabbit doe gives me “Stink-eye,” whenever I am so rude as to enter what she clearly thinks of as HER space! “Squatters rights,” she insists with a nervous twitch, claiming that her “mother, and her mother before her, all bore their kits here.

Rabbit Doe in the potager.

How dare I to chase her away?! The Collards that over-wintered are “Mine!” she declares! And, who am I to argue? She can have it, at least until such time as I am willing to commit to weeding and nurturing the new seasons crops. 

Happy gardening!


(Text and photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2017. No part of this blog may be reproduced, copied, or referenced without specific written permission of the author/photographer. All rights reserved.)